By the power of her imagination, Robyn Annear has resurrected the village that was early Melbourne - from the arrival of white settlers in 1835 until the first gold rushes shook the town - and brought it to life in vivid colour. 'Bearbrass' was one of the local names by which Melbourne was known and this book provides a fascinating living portrait of the streetlife of this town.
In her lively and inimitable style, Robyn Annear has overlaid her reinvention of 'Bearbrass' with her own impressions and experiences of the modern city, enabling Melburnians and visitors to rebuild the early township in their minds and remind themselves that there is much more to the capital of the south than carparks, concrete and cappuccino bars.